Samantha’s work combines the hard surfaces of ceramics with the softer textures of knit and woven fibers. Visitors are invited to explore the space and the materials, add to the installation by practicing at the wall loom, or curl up in a cozy corner. The materials are all made by hand, including the ceramics, which were created this past summer.

“The new installation brings to mind the Museum’s history of weaving exhibits providing tactile materials for visitors of all ages,” said Rachel Farkas, Curator of Collections. “It gives us a break from technology and invites us to work with our hands to make something.”

“With the current culture of multi-tasking and our product-driven society, making slowly is a personal act of resistance,” said Samantha Fields. “We have become more definitively disconnected from the products of our own making. We no longer make, we buy. Crocheting, embroidery, and weaving have the trace of the hand and the understanding of labor and time, and are imbued with our everyday experience.”

Samantha’s hometown of Brockton, MA was an epicenter of the shoe and textile industries in the early 20th century. These roots have influenced her work and are expressed through her choices of materials and content. As a multimedia artist, Samantha engages with weaving, needlework, and sewing as a survival mechanism, aesthetic, and conceptual strategy. She studied at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she received her MFA in 2005, as well as Massachusetts College of Art, where she earned her undergraduate degree in 1996. She is now adjunct faculty at both institutions. Her work has been supported through numerous grants, fellowships, and residencies and has exhibited extensively throughout New England, as well as nationally and abroad. She lives and works in the Boston area.

The artist will be leading an interactive weaving demonstration “playing with lines” on Thursday, December 28 from 11:00am - 4:00pm in the Gallery. Using a floor loom, visitors will have the opportunity to watch and weave creating a communal piece of cloth. This program is recommended for visitors ages 6 and over.

The installation is scheduled to run through March 18, 2018

For additional information visit http://www.BostonChildrensMuseum.org

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